This ain't Hell, but you can see it from here

Author: AW1Ed

Rear Admiral: Mid-Atlantic Bases Are Ready For Florence

AUSTIN, Texas — Navy Region Mid-Atlantic is ready for the Hurricane Florence, said Rear Adm. Charles Rock, the region’s commander.
With about 300,000 servicemembers, family members, reservists and retirees in the storm’s path, he said they are “taking it very seriously” as they prepare for the storm projected to strike the East Coast of the United States by Saturday morning.
“Our focus is first on safety of our assets and safety of our personnel. As soon as the storm passes and we have the opportunity to ensure our facilities are safe and personnel are safe, roadways are safe, we’ll open our installations again to get back to training and readiness,” Rock said.
As of Wednesday, the Navy ordered evacuations for low-lying portions of Naval Station Norfolk in Virginia and 11 counties of North Carolina in conjunction with evacuation orders issued by those states.
In Virginia, Rock said much of the Navy’s facilities are outside the evacuation area, known as flood zone A. He said one portion of the base in Virginia Beach susceptible to flooding and wind damage is Dam Neck Annex, where about 1,400 sailors and family members live. They were moved Wednesday.

View the entire article Here

September 13, 2018
Guest Post From Poetrooper

I normally don’t repost full articles from other sources but the following piece needs to be read in its entirety by those of you, who, like me, voted for Trump as the lesser of two bad choices, but while having come to admire him for keeping most of his campaign promises and standing up to the media, still find ourselves doing all too regular face plants at what and how he sometimes speaks and Tweets. It’s a bit of a long read for the TAH format, but I promise that this enlightened essay from American Thinker, written by aviation physicist, Chet Richards, is going to make you feel a whole lot better about your original vote and your continuing support. You may even want to write a check for his 2020 re-election.
Poe
September 12, 2018

Presidential Chaos
Chet Richards
American Thinker

The Oval Office is in chaos. Donald Trump is mercurial, scatter-brained, given to changing his opinion every few minutes. Talks all the time. Doesn’t listen. Is opinionated. Often wrong. He is interested only in today, not tomorrow. He lacks caution. It all adds up to a president who clearly is mentally deficient – insane even. Or so some say. They say it is vital for the Nation’s future that Donald Trump be relieved of his office – or at least tightly controlled.

All of the above may, or may not, be true. Only those in a day-to-day working relationship with the president know the reality, and publicly they say only positive things about the man. Whatever the truth, the simple fact is that Donald Trump is, thus far, perhaps the most productive president in American history. Only Teddy Roosevelt is a productive rival, and chaos surrounded him, as well. How can Trump’s purported chaotic insanity produce such positive results?

The simplest explanation is simple: Donald Trump may be a genius! Don’t laugh. He may be the real thing. He jokes about it, which suggests he doesn’t realize that he really is (see the Dunning-Kruger Effect). His career record certainly suggests he is a major creative talent – and a gutsy one at that.
Perhaps President Trump is the kind of genius who thrives on turmoil. If so, that explains the chaos. In my profession of physics, there have been several brilliant notables with exactly that characteristic. It is not to say that Donald Trump lacks self-discipline. He wouldn’t be where he is today if discipline was lacking. His discipline is probably very different from the norm, but it clearly works. Creative people understand chaos. They especially understand it if they have collaborated with other talented people on a difficult problem. Creative chaos is the norm in such an environment. Without that chaos productivity can vanish.
More than half a century ago, equipped with a fresh physics degree, I attracted the attention of a group of professional inventors and was hired. Most of the time the work was routine. The real fun came, most days, when things were winding down. Then a few of us would gather together for exercises in pure invention. We were led by the group’s technical boss, a master inventor. It was in these sessions that I received my training as a professional inventor. The most noteworthy things about these sessions were their chaos and their entertainment value – they really were fun. A problem would be posed. It didn’t matter what kind of problem as long as there was no known solution. Then came a great deal of discordant, often simultaneous, often loud, back and forth. Chaos. Then, sometimes popping out of the blue, a solution magically appeared. Almost always these sessions would produce at least one patentable invention (and often more than one). We usually didn’t file patent because the invention was seldom relevant to our business and patents are expensive. Given the creative ferment there it is little wonder that the group produced a series of engineering masterpieces.
Later, after several uninspiring years in graduate school, I found myself working directly for one of the aerospace industry’s great geniuses. Chaos again. I was back in my element. People change, personalities change, but the creative chaos is always the same – provided the talent is there.
Trump faces a problem: the Government. The Government is not, by its nature, a creative institution. When it tries to be it almost invariable gets it wrong. Just consider all the failed social programs if you doubt this. Government is good at routine. Routine minds are repelled by the kind of turbulence that surrounds Donald Trump. Which, of course, is the reason they have routine minds in routine jobs. Government is process oriented and rule bound. Once a routine is established things tend to go smoothly for a while. Unfortunately routine breaks down in stressing situations. Then, creative thinking is required. But the creativity is usually not there. Creative people just don’t fit comfortably in a process oriented organization.
The aerospace industry has many examples where process breaks down. One program, where I was involved at a senior level, suffered from excessive process. The program manager was a retired Lieutenant General who had had great success managing a key part of the first Gulf War. He was highly intelligent and accessible. But he did not understand the creative chaos required for success in this kind of program. What he did understand was process. Key decisions were to be made according to a detailed schedule, not for technical merit. After an expenditure of more than a billion dollars of government money, and hundreds of millions of dollars of corporate investment, the program was canceled. Process had killed the program.
The people who thrive at upper levels in Government are mostly highly intelligent conventional thinkers. Put them in the service of someone like Donald Trump and they may do outstanding work. Or, they may rebel and engage in subversion. Such rebellion seems to be a problem today. According to the notorious 9/5/18 New York Times OpEd piece by Anonymous, there exists an informal Steady State conspiracy at high levels in Trump’s administration. Reportedly, this group has interfered with the president’s decision process. It has done so by pilfering documents that were put in front of him to sign. Implied, this group also biases the information going to the president. Is this editorial factual? Or, is it just malicious disinformation from the swamp? If it is real then substantial housecleaning is in order. In any case, among a cast of hundreds, or even thousands, there inevitably will be those who will be disaffected.
In time the mix of the people around the president will have evolved to be a buffer between the productive conventional thinkers and their highly unconventional boss. In engineering terms, Trump’s senior staff should serve as an efficient impedance matching device. Given Donald Trump’s major talents, and with such a mature staff around the president, we can expect this administration to go down as one history’s greatest.

September 13, 2018
NOAA 1400 Update

NOAA Link

822
WTNT31 KNHC 121757
TCPAT1

BULLETIN
Hurricane Florence Intermediate Advisory Number 53A
NWS National Hurricane Center Miami FL AL062018
200 PM EDT Wed Sep 12 2018

…FLORENCE’S PEAK WINDS HAVE DECREASED SLIGHTLY BUT THE SIZE OF THE
WIND FIELD HAS INCREASED…
…LIFE-THREATENING STORM SURGE AND RAINFALL EXPECTED ACROSS
PORTIONS OF THE CAROLINAS…

SUMMARY OF 200 PM EDT…1800 UTC…INFORMATION
———————————————-
LOCATION…30.4N 71.8W
ABOUT 435 MI…700 KM SE OF WILMINGTON NORTH CAROLINA
ABOUT 470 MI…755 KM ESE OF MYRTLE BEACH SOUTH CAROLINA
MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS…125 MPH…205 KM/H
PRESENT MOVEMENT…NW OR 310 DEGREES AT 16 MPH…26 KM/H
MINIMUM CENTRAL PRESSURE…948 mb…27.99 inches

WATCHES AND WARNINGS
——————–
CHANGES WITH THIS ADVISORY:

None.

SUMMARY OF WATCHES AND WARNINGS IN EFFECT:

A Storm Surge Warning is in effect for…
* South Santee River South Carolina to Duck North Carolina
* Albemarle and Pamlico Sounds, including the Neuse and Pamlico
Rivers

A Storm Surge Watch is in effect for…
* Edisto Beach South Carolina to South Santee River South Carolina
* North of Duck North Carolina to the North Carolina/Virginia border

A Hurricane Warning is in effect for…
* South Santee River South Carolina to Duck North Carolina
* Albemarle and Pamlico Sounds

A Hurricane Watch is in effect for…
* Edisto Beach South Carolina to South Santee River South Carolina

A Tropical Storm Warning is in effect for…
* North of Duck North Carolina to the North Carolina/Virginia border

A Tropical Storm Watch is in effect for…
* North of the North Carolina/Virginia border to Cape Charles Light
Virginia
* Chesapeake Bay south of New Point Comfort

Interests elsewhere in the southeastern and mid-Atlantic states
should monitor the progress of Florence.

A Storm Surge Warning means there is a danger of life-threatening
inundation, from rising water moving inland from the coastline,
during the next 36 hours in the indicated locations. For a
depiction of areas at risk, please see the National Weather
Service Storm Surge Watch/Warning Graphic, available at
hurricanes.gov. This is a life-threatening situation. Persons
located within these areas should take all necessary actions to
protect life and property from rising water and the potential for
other dangerous conditions. Promptly follow evacuation and other
instructions from local officials.

A Storm Surge Watch means there is a possibility of life-
threatening inundation, from rising water moving inland from the
coastline, in the indicated locations during the next 48 hours.

A Hurricane Warning means that hurricane conditions are expected
somewhere within the warning area. A warning is typically issued
36 hours before the anticipated first occurrence of tropical-storm-
force winds, conditions that make outside preparations difficult or
dangerous. Preparations to protect life and property should be
rushed to completion.

A Hurricane Watch means that hurricane conditions are possible
within the watch area. A watch is typically issued 48 hours
before the anticipated first occurrence of tropical-storm-force
winds, conditions that make outside preparations difficult or
dangerous.

A Tropical Storm Warning means that tropical storm conditions are
expected somewhere within the warning area within 36 hours.

A Tropical Storm Watch means that tropical storm conditions are
possible within the watch area, generally within 48 hours.

For storm information specific to your area, including possible
inland watches and warnings, please monitor products issued by your
local National Weather Service forecast office.

DISCUSSION AND OUTLOOK
———————-
At 200 PM EDT (1800 UTC), reports from An Air Force Reserve
reconnaissance aircraft indicate that the center of the eye of
Hurricane Florence was located near latitude 30.4 North, longitude
71.8 West. Florence is moving toward the northwest near 16 mph
(26 km/h) and this general motion, accompanied by a gradual decrease
in forward speed, is expected to through Saturday. On the forecast
track, the center of Florence will move over the southwestern
Atlantic Ocean between Bermuda and the Bahamas today, and approach
the coast of North Carolina or South Carolina in the hurricane
warning area on Thursday and Friday and move slowly near the
coastline through Saturday.

The reconnaissance aircraft found that maximum sustained winds have
decreased to near 125 mph (205 km/h) with higher gusts. Florence is
now a category 3 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind
Scale. Some fluctuations in strength will be possible through
Thursday morning. Although slow weakening is expected to begin by
late Thursday, Florence is still forecast to be an extremely
dangerous major hurricane when it nears the U.S. coast late Thursday
and Friday.

Hurricane-force winds extend outward up to 70 miles (110 km) from
the center and tropical-storm-force winds extend outward up to 175
miles (280 km). A NOAA buoy located about 100 miles northeast of
Florence’s eye recently reported a sustained wind of 53 mph (85
km/h) and a gust to 74 mph (119 km/h).

The minimum central pressure based on reports from the
reconnaissance aircraft is estimated to be 948 mb (27.99 inches).

HAZARDS AFFECTING LAND
———————-
STORM SURGE: The combination of a dangerous storm surge and the
tide will cause normally dry areas near the coast to be flooded by
rising waters moving inland from the shoreline. The water has the
potential to reach the following heights above ground if peak surge
occurs at the time of high tide…

Cape Fear NC to Cape Lookout NC, including the Neuse, Pamlico,
Pungo, and Bay Rivers…9-13 ft
North Myrtle Beach SC to Cape Fear NC…6-9 ft
Cape Lookout NC to Ocracoke Inlet NC…6-9 ft
South Santee River SC to North Myrtle Beach SC…4-6 ft
Ocracoke Inlet NC to Salvo NC…4-6 ft
Salvo NC to North Carolina/Virginia Border…2-4 ft
Edisto Beach SC to South Santee River SC…2-4 ft

The deepest water will occur along the immediate coast in areas of
onshore winds, where the surge will be accompanied by large and
destructive waves. Surge-related flooding depends on the relative
timing of the surge and the tidal cycle, and can vary greatly over
short distances. For information specific to your area, please see
products issued by your local National Weather Service forecast
office.

RAINFALL: Florence is expected to produce heavy and excessive
rainfall in the following areas…

Coastal North Carolina…20 to 30 inches, isolated 40 inches. This
rainfall would produce catastrophic flash flooding and significant
river flooding.

South Carolina, western and northern North Carolina…5 to 10
inches, isolated 20 inches.
Elsewhere in the Appalachians and Mid-Atlantic states…3 to 6
inches, isolated 12 inches.

WIND: Hurricane conditions are expected to reach the coast within
the hurricane warning area late Thursday or Friday. Winds are
expected to first reach tropical storm strength on Thursday, making
outside preparations difficult or dangerous. Preparations to
protect life and property should be rushed to completion.

TORNADOES: A few tornadoes are possible in eastern North Carolina
beginning late Thursday morning.

SURF: Swells generated by Florence are affecting Bermuda, portions
of the U.S. East Coast, and the northwestern and central Bahamas.
These swells are likely to cause life-threatening surf and rip
current conditions. Please consult products from your local weather
office.

NEXT ADVISORY
————-
Next complete advisory at 500 PM EDT.

September 12, 2018
Washington Post declares Trump is ‘complicit’ for dangerous storm

You can’t make this up. The Left is blaming Trump for everything from bread mold to now hurricanes; they are truly deranged. The surging economy, best job ratings in memory, lower taxes, returning America to world leadership, is invisible to them. The hate is almost palpable.

And what are they offering, besides impeaching him? Higher taxes, crush the economy, erase the borders, more gun bans, and California is their model. No thanks.

The editorial board of the Washington Post has declared that President Trump is “complicit” for Hurricane Florence because of his views on climate change.

The massive storm has not made landfall yet, but the Post published a column on Wednesday headlined, “Another hurricane is about to batter our coast. Trump is complicit.”

The piece also notes that Trump has given “good advice” when issuing hurricane warnings via his Twitter feed before it launched an attack on the president.

“When it comes to extreme weather, Mr. Trump is complicit. He plays down humans’ role in increasing the risks, and he continues to dismantle efforts to address those risks. It is hard to attribute any single weather event to climate change. But there is no reasonable doubt that humans are priming the Earth’s systems to produce disasters,” the editorial board wrote.

Conservative strategist Chris Barron told Fox News that the mainstream media ‘finds new ways to embarrass themselves and further erode Americans confidence in them” on a daily basis.

Any wishing to view this, why? I already took the hit for the team. Click on the link if you must, but be prepared to lose brain cells.

Fox News

September 12, 2018
One of the last legendary WWII soldiers to make four combat jumps into Europe has died

British troops of the 6th Battalion, Durham Light Infantry chat with an American paratrooper of the 505th PIR in Avola, Sicily, July 11, 1943. (Wikimedia)

Sad news about one of America’s Greatest Generation, who has passed.

Former Staff Sgt. Russell Brown was one of the legendary paratroopers who made every combat jump during World War II, forever cementing his place in the history of the 82nd Airborne Division.

Brown passed away Aug. 31 at the age of 96 in Georgetown, Kentucky, according to an obituary. A spokesman for the 82nd Airborne confirmed the Purple Heart recipient had been one of the lauded soldiers who parachuted into Salerno and Sicily, Italy, as well as Normandy, France, and Njimegen, Holland.

His story was featured in “Four Stars of Valor: The Combat History of the 505th Parachute Infantry” and “All American, All the Way: The Combat History of the 82nd Airborne Division,” non-fiction accounts by Phil Nordyke, where he told the story of his time as a mortar squad leader with Brown, who had been a mortar squad leader with F Company.

After the Army, Brown went to work as an explosives technician at DuPont and Co. He is survived by two daughters, 10 grandchildren and six great-grandchildren, according to his obituary.

Fair winds and following seas, SSgt. Brown

Army Times Link

September 12, 2018
Dangerous ‘drug’ trend infiltrating Florida prisons

Another bench mark for Florida- inmates ingesting insecticides to get a high. I can’t imagine how that would work, and it can’t be healthy. Shouldn’t be surprised, really. Anything for a buzz.

In Florida prisons, inmates were discovered using chemically-laced papers as a dangerous new way to get high, officials said Tuesday.

Polk County Sheriff’s deputies made the discovery last week during a search at the county jail, according to FOX 35 Orlando.

Seems people were spraying the ant and roach poison onto sheets of paper, smuggling it into county jails and giving it to inmates. The paper is then smoked or eaten by the inmates.

“Who would think to do this? When the chemicals are infused on the paper, then they eat it or smoke it,” Judd said at a news conference. “Are you kidding me?”

Several others were also arrested for using a similar method to smuggle K2 and synthetic amphetamines into a Polk County Jail, according to FOX 35 Orlando. In that particular case, Judd said family or friends of the inmates were spraying chemicals onto sheets of paper, including legal documents, letters or Bible verses, and smuggling into the jails.

Deputies discovered the chemically laced papers were being smuggled in with legal documents when family of the inmates were meeting with attorneys.

Judd had a message for the attorneys: “The criminals inside are trying to take advantage of you.”

If people will inject “krokodil,” I suppose ingesting pesticides is pretty tame. The entire article can be viewed here –>Fox News Link

September 12, 2018
Hurricane Florence Advisory

342
WTNT31 KNHC 120852
TCPAT1
NOAA Link
BULLETIN
Hurricane Florence Advisory Number 52
NWS National Hurricane Center Miami FL AL062018
500 AM EDT Wed Sep 12 2018

…DANGEROUS FLORENCE HEADING TOWARD THE U.S. EAST COAST…
…EXPECTED TO BRING LIFE-THREATENING STORM SURGE AND RAINFALL TO
PORTIONS OF THE CAROLINAS AND MID-ATLANTIC STATES…

SUMMARY OF 500 AM EDT…0900 UTC…INFORMATION
———————————————-
LOCATION…29.0N 70.1W
ABOUT 575 MI…925 KM SE OF CAPE FEAR NORTH CAROLINA
MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS…130 MPH…215 KM/H
PRESENT MOVEMENT…WNW OR 300 DEGREES AT 17 MPH…28 KM/H
MINIMUM CENTRAL PRESSURE…946 MB…27.94 INCHES

WATCHES AND WARNINGS
——————–
CHANGES WITH THIS ADVISORY:

A Tropical Storm Warning has been issued from north of Duck North
Carolina to the North Carolina-Virginia border. The Hurricane
Watch for this area has been discontinued.

SUMMARY OF WATCHES AND WARNINGS IN EFFECT:

A Storm Surge Warning is in effect for…
* South Santee River South Carolina to Duck North Carolina
* Albemarle and Pamlico Sounds, including the Neuse and Pamlico
Rivers

A Storm Surge Watch is in effect for…
* Edisto Beach South Carolina to South Santee River South Carolina
* North of Duck North Carolina to the North Carolina/Virginia border

A Hurricane Warning is in effect for…
* South Santee River South Carolina to Duck North Carolina
* Albemarle and Pamlico Sounds

A Hurricane Watch is in effect for…
* Edisto Beach South Carolina to South Santee River South Carolina

A Tropical Storm Warning is in effect for…
* North of Duck North Carolina to the North Carolina/Virginia border

A Tropical Storm Watch is in effect for…
* North of the North Carolina/Virginia border to Cape Charles Light
Virginia
* Chesapeake Bay south of New Point Comfort

Interests elsewhere in the southeastern and mid-Atlantic states
should monitor the progress of Florence.

A Storm Surge Warning means there is a danger of life-threatening
inundation, from rising water moving inland from the coastline,
during the next 36 hours in the indicated locations. For a
depiction of areas at risk, please see the National Weather
Service Storm Surge Watch/Warning Graphic, available at
hurricanes.gov. This is a life-threatening situation. Persons
located within these areas should take all necessary actions to
protect life and property from rising water and the potential for
other dangerous conditions. Promptly follow evacuation and other
instructions from local officials.

A Storm Surge Watch means there is a possibility of life-
threatening inundation, from rising water moving inland from the
coastline, in the indicated locations during the next 48 hours.

A Hurricane Warning means that hurricane conditions are expected
somewhere within the warning area. A warning is typically issued
36 hours before the anticipated first occurrence of tropical-storm-
force winds, conditions that make outside preparations difficult or
dangerous. Preparations to protect life and property should be
rushed to completion.

A Hurricane Watch means that hurricane conditions are possible
within the watch area. A watch is typically issued 48 hours
before the anticipated first occurrence of tropical-storm-force
winds, conditions that make outside preparations difficult or
dangerous.

A Tropical Storm Warning means that tropical storm conditions are
expected somewhere within the warning area within 36 hours.

A Tropical Storm Watch means that tropical storm conditions are
possible within the watch area, generally within 48 hours.

For storm information specific to your area, including possible
inland watches and warnings, please monitor products issued by your
local National Weather Service forecast office.

DISCUSSION AND OUTLOOK
———————-
At 500 AM EDT (0900 UTC), the center of Hurricane Florence was
located near latitude 29.0 North, longitude 70.1 West. Florence is
moving toward the west-northwest near 17 mph (28 km/h). A motion
toward the west-northwest and northwest is expected through
Thursday. Florence is expected to slow down considerably by late
Thursday into Friday, and move through early Saturday. On the
forecast track, the center of Florence will move over the
southwestern Atlantic Ocean between Bermuda and the Bahamas today,
and approach the coast of North Carolina or South Carolina in the
hurricane warning area on Thursday and Friday.

Maximum sustained winds are near 130 mph (215 km/h) with higher
gusts. Florence is a category 4 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson
Hurricane Wind Scale. Strengthening is forecast through tonight.
While some weakening is expected on Thursday, Florence is forecast
to be an extremely dangerous major hurricane when it nears the
U.S. coast.

Hurricane-force winds extend outward up to 70 miles (110 km) from
the center and tropical-storm-force winds extend outward up to 175
miles (280 km).

The estimated minimum central pressure is 946 mb (27.94 inches).

HAZARDS AFFECTING LAND
———————-
STORM SURGE: The combination of a dangerous storm surge and the
tide will cause normally dry areas near the coast to be flooded by
rising waters moving inland from the shoreline. The water has the
potential to reach the following heights above ground if peak surge
occurs at the time of high tide…

Cape Fear to Cape Lookout, including the Neuse, Pamlico, Pungo, and
Bay Rivers…9-13 ft
North Myrtle Beach to Cape Fear…6-9 ft
Cape Lookout to Ocracoke Inlet…6-9 ft
South Santee River to North Myrtle Beach…4-6 ft
Ocracoke Inlet to North Carolina/Virginia Border…4-6 ft
Edisto Beach to South Santee River…2-4 ft

The deepest water will occur along the immediate coast in areas of
onshore winds, where the surge will be accompanied by large and
destructive waves. Surge-related flooding depends on the relative
timing of the surge and the tidal cycle, and can vary greatly over
short distances. For information specific to your area, please see
products issued by your local National Weather Service forecast
office.

RAINFALL: Florence is expected to produce heavy and excessive
rainfall in the following areas…

Coastal North Carolina…20 to 30 inches, isolated 40 inches
South Carolina, western and northern North Carolina…5 to
10 inches, isolated 20 inches
Elsewhere in the Appalachians and Mid-Atlantic states…3 to
6 inches, isolated 12 inches

This rainfall would produce catastrophic flash flooding and
significant river flooding.

WIND: Hurricane conditions are expected to reach the coast within
the hurricane warning area on Friday. Winds are expected to first
reach tropical storm strength on Thursday, making outside
preparations difficult or dangerous. Preparations to protect life
and property should be rushed to completion.

SURF: Swells generated by Florence are affecting Bermuda and
portions of the U.S. East Coast. These swells are likely to cause
life-threatening surf and rip current conditions. Please consult
products from your local weather office.

NEXT ADVISORY
————-
Next intermediate advisory at 800 AM EDT.
Next complete advisory at 1100 AM EDT.

September 12, 2018
The inside story of how a US Navy pilot shot down a Syrian jet

The Russian built SU-22, NATO code name “Fitter” didn’t fare very well against Navy Tomcats back in the day. They’ve continued with this tradition against Navy Hornets.

Navy LCDR Michael “M.O.B.” Tremel was sipping his coffee at 20,000 feet, at a leisurely 700 Kts, doing his part supporting US, Kurds, and friendly Arabs fighting ISIS. Little did he know he was about to become the first American pilot to shoot down an enemy aircraft, in battle, in 20 years.

Tremel had a hunch the day’s mission would be different than the others he had flown into the gut of war-ravaged Syria, dropping bombs to protect friendly forces in the fight against the Islamic State.

“Defending guys on the ground is what I’ve done my whole career,” the F/A-18E Super Hornet pilot told Navy Times last week at the Tailhook Association’s annual convention, where he received the Distinguished Flying Cross for becoming the first American pilot to shoot down an enemy plane since 1999.

Tremel didn’t want to talk too much about those troops on the ground, but according to his medal citation they included an Air Force Joint Terminal Attack Controller, or JTAC, who was calling in strikes for Syrian rebels fighting Islamic State militants in their Raqqa
stronghold.

The beauty of the day clashed not only with the fighting below but also the thorny international politics that animate what strategists contend is a proxy war in Syria.

It pits Syrian strongman Bashar al-Assad and his Hezbollah and Russian allies against a shifting array of insurgents backed by Gulf Arab states and Turkey, plus Kurdish militias largely supported by the United States.

These days, the complicated battles on the ground are matched by a jumble of jets in the sky.

“You have Russian aircraft, Turkish aircraft, Iraqis, the Syrian air force,” Tremel said.

That’s not want Tremel saw outside his cockpit in 2014, three years into the Syrian civil war, when he joined one of the first U.S. sorties into the divided country to bomb Islamic State positions.

The rules of engagement briefed to the “Golden Warriors” of Strike Fighter Squadron 87 stressed caution. Russian aviators appeared to reciprocate by flying “very professionally, and so did we,” Tremel said.

Tremel and his wingman, Lt. Cmdr. Carl “JoJo” Krueger, began their day with a launch off the carrier George H.W. Bush in the eastern Mediterranean Sea.

They swung south of Cyprus and then jetted over Turkey toward Syria.

His radar soon picked up an unknown aircraft closing fast on the U.S.-allied Kurdish and Arab militias bannered as the Syrian Democratic Forces.

It was a Syrian Su-22 Fitter. Tremel said he tried to prod the pilot to move south and away from the friendly forces he was shepherding below.

“At any point in time, if this aircraft would head south and work its way out of the situation, it’d be fine with us,” Tremel said. “We could go back to executing (close-air support).”

That didn’t happen.

“He ended up rolling in, dropping ordnance, two bombs on those defended forces,” Tremel said.

Tremel went for the Sidewinder missile.

“It was really crazy, swinging that master arm for the first time in combat with an air-to-air missile selected,” he recalled.

But it didn’t work.

“Real time, I thought I might have been too close,” Tremel said. “I thought maybe I hit (the jet) but it didn’t fuse in time.”

So Tremel turned to the AIM-120, an advanced medium-range missile.

“That got the job done from about half a mile,” he said.

His actions on that day in 2017 won him a Distinguished Flying Cross, and would secure his own place among Naval Aviation icons.
The lucky SOB.
*grin*

To view the article in its entirety, click on the link provided.
Navy Times

September 11, 2018